Journal Entry #1.3

I could see the wild blood-lust in her glowing eyes, I'd helped in taking away someone she cared about and she wanted to pay me back in blood. The Fox dashes forward in a blur of motion, and before I can react, I feel her clawed hands dig into my shoulders and bring me to the ground.

My head throbbed as it bounced off the of the cracked street from our battle. I could feel chips of concrete and blood mix into my hair. She went straight for my neck, maw opened unnaturally wide with rows of serrated teeth, the foul stench of blood wafted from her mouth.

I tried to move my arms, summon my power, anything. But nothing happened; it was as if nothing was there.

And then the pain hit…

***

I sat up with a gasp, barely keeping my arms from flailing as I frantically looked around. It took awhile for my eyes to adjust to the darkness around me, but eventually I recognized the familiar surroundings of my bedroom. I felt something shift against me as my heartbeat slowed; I looked down to see Himari curled up on the bed, snoring softly.

And completely... "laid bare".

That's around the time I also noticed how wet the sheets were had nothing to do with my nightmare induced sweat.

I heaved a sigh before swinging my legs over the bed and heading out the door, after pulling on my wrinkled boxers and pants. Making a mental note to clean the sheets before the other girls find out and throw a hissy fit.

I made made a beeline towards the bathroom. I knew from experience that the best way to feel clean after a "intense snuggle session" with Himari was a nice hot bath. The scent, soreness, and stickiness would all be washed away after a good soak.

As I opened the bathroom door and started preparing my bath, I let my mind drift to toward the news Tama had given me. If she was telling the truth, and I had no reason to think she wasn't, I had a legitimate chance at establishing some form of peace; at least in my little slice of territory.

But I needed more information, about exactly what kind of Yokai this group was composed of and their reputation, and that meant talking to Ageha and Shizuku. They were the closets things I had to legitimate informants on the supernatural underworld. I might ask Kuesu if time permitted, but I had an inkling that any info she had wouldn't exactly be unbiased…

My train of thought was swept away as I lowered myself into the slightly steaming water, after the stress and surprises of the day it felt good to have some time to myself and just relax.

"Hello~", a light voice whispered into my ear as I reached for the soap rack. "You've been an awfully busy boy, haven't you?", I froze for the barest of moments as I felt something materialize behind me and soft skin pressed against my back.

"Shizuku? Where have you been? I didn't see you at all yesterday.", I was stalling and I didn't know why. But something in her voice seemed guarded, almost dangerous. "Did you go out and talk with some of your old friends?"

The snake Yokai began softly messaging my shoulders, the water and suds from the soap moving in time with her motions, "You know how it is, they get restless if I don't report back once in a while. But what you don't know…"

I tensed.

"... Is that they told me about a new group of Yokai coming through to talk to a certain Demon Slayer. Which is also connected to a whole other mess in the US."

I blew out a heavy sigh of relief and grabbed a rag before leaning back against the tub. Shizuku deformed into clear water behind me and then pulled herself together in front of me with an expectant look on her face.

"I've heard, just let me finish cleaning up first, there's a lot we need to talk about.", I said.

After the surprisingly non-lewd bath with Shizuku, I decided it was best to get this over with as soon as possible; things like deception and stalling were never my strong suit anyways.

With a fresh new set of clothes and a decidedly less potent smell of sweaty cat-girl coming from me, I sat down with Shizuku in the living room and relayed what Tama had said.

"That's what my group said too. Except for the news from the West.", she crossed her legs as she thought, showing off the soft flesh of her thighs from under her dark dress.

"What news?", I asked tentatively. "And what do they have to do with this 'mysterious group'?"

"Hmmm, it's a little complicated", she flicked her naturally long and snake-like tongue out in brief contemplation. "You know how there are realms separate from the ones humans live in that a variety of ghosts, spirits, and demons call home?"

I nodded in the affirmative. The existence of other realms, or worlds, that existed beside our own was a major part of my studies. Most were either completely in hospitable to most forms of life or filled to the brim with otherworldly beings that did not care for mortals; human, Yokai, or otherwise. And things that happened in worlds particularly close to ours could actually affect the world physically.

They were things smart people left alone. So naturally practitioners throughout the ages had shamelessly messed with them to predictable ends: Death, destruction, and calamity. At least until organizations like the one I was with now managed to put a stop to the madness.

"Well,", Shizuku started, "There's been a shift of power in one of the more influential realms, and the affects have apparently washed over all of the Yokai native to the US. But that's all we've got, no one else knows any specifics; the entire supernatural world has gone into hiding over there and this new group traveling here is the only sign of activity we've seen in a while."

...That was a lot to taken. But it would explain the relative radio silence that'd been coming from the other Demon Slayers and the organization they ran. This was something they were probably diverting a lot of time and resources toward.

And since I and Kesu were more powerhouses than investigators, we were probably being kept in reserve as home-town defense.

"So, what are we supposed to do about it? If they're just here to talk, I least want to try and accommodate them.", I explain after thinking on the avalanche of information that had just been duped into my lap.

"We'll need to prepare, first of all. They could be trying to use your good-nature against you. If they're trying to set a trap I don't want us to be caught off-guard. But that's going to be problem.", she drooped visibly as she said this, I saw less concern and more annoyance on her face.

"Uh, why is that? I'm sure I can talk Kesu or Hitsugi, if she's available, into sharing some equipment with us, although I'll probably have to do a favor for them afterwards.", Demon Slayers were technically supposed to be a group of clans working as a single unit. But as Kesu had meticulously explained that the clans hardly did anything for free and would often trade in either money or favors.

"As concerning as I think it is for you to start owing favors to someone like Hitsugi, the more immediate concerning is gathering information on this new group trying to settle in. My associates could do it since their on our territory now, but doing so for someone like you will require some convincing. The kind that you'll need to do in person if they're ever going to trust you.", she was trying to avoid saying what the real issue would be. I could tell it was something only mildly concerning, she wouldn't even be broaching the idea if she thought it was something life threatening. But her hesitance was not a good sign all the same.

"C'mon Shizuku, tell me what the catch is. You know I hate having things hidden from me, especially about something as potentially important as this.", I put as much authority and sincerity as I could into my voice, putting my hand on her shoulder just to add a little extra emphasis to my request.

She tilted her head back and closed her eyes before letting out a groan of annoyance, "They don't feel comfortable with you bringing either the cat or your 'fiance' with you. And since you're the only one they consistently listen to; that means you'll have to convince both of them let me and Ageha escort you instead."